flying – Around the world with Evie Bean

Long haul flights

With an 8 month old, we were not expecting an amazing flight experience getting from one side of the globe to the other. But we did try to make it as easy as possible, or so we thought.

We booked basonette’s on both flights and allowed ourselves plenty of time. And because we were going through Hong Kong we thought it sensible to have a nights stop off to catch up on sleep that we neither anticipated, or got, on the flight.

In reality that meant that we had three days of minimal sleep as opposed to two! The stop off went against us with Evie waking bright as a button at 3am. It left us good for nothing the following day and certainly no better off or re-energised for the 2nd long flight.

So our advice to you is to get to your destination without planned delays. For us at least, the stop off didn’t work.

The adventure begins. Penrith,UK to Christchurch, New Zealand – getting there

It’s a very long way from Penrith to NZ, but the first conundrum was how to get to Heathrow with a lot of bags and a baby. Not wanting to take our car when this trip is a long one, we looked at the train as an obvious option. But both the train and the ‘getting across London’ elements were very costly and not very easy. So we hired a car, which worked out great and allowed us to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare and was a lot cheaper.

Our first flight was a late night flight, straight away getting Evie out of sink. But Heathrow has a great play area hidden away with soft play and even a sensory room. So that kept us occupied.

On the plane and Evie has the option to fly in luxury on a basonette…. or she could instist on sleeping on one of us most of the way instead.

She will never know how probably for the only time in her life she turned down sleeping on a bed on a plane… oh to swap places with her!

So we thought it sensible to have a night in Hong Kong. Could have a relax, get a good nights sleep, then be fresh the next day for a bit of sightseeing in Hong Kong. How naive! Reality was exhausted on arrival, minimal sleep as Evie didn’t know what time of day it was, so I ended up walking around the airport and hotel in the middle of the night, and exhausted the next day, meaning no energy to go into Hong Kong for sightseeing!!

Middle of the night entertainment!

Hong Kong airport does have great buggy trolleys so if you don’t have a buggy, you can whizz your baby around!

On to the next stage of our journey – Hong Kong to Auckland. Evie gets a different style of basonette, which she generally chose not to be in for most of the flight !

Would rather sleep on us!

So she did ok, we got tireder…. too tired even to watch films….

Eventually we arrived in Auckland and it was a beautiful day there. Blue skies and warm.

But we weren’t staying. We had to pick up the bags and go through customs (baby food in packs and milk formula allowed into NZ). Then drop them again for our internal flight to Christchurch and back through security.

Well the last part of the journey is often the longest, or so it seems. But we did finally get off the plane in Christchurch, achy and exhausted.

And we somehow got all our stuff and three of us into a Suzuki Swift ready to start our New Zealand adventure!

Penrith to Munich- 16/08/18

4.30am alarm! Even too early for Evie.

5.57am train Penrith to Manchester Airport, with a sad goodbye to Daddy, who we will see in a couple of weeks, when part 1 of our holiday adventure is over. Evie, my mum and me set off. The journey was spent sleeping, looking at people and munching on cucumber!

Through check in…. pleased I could take the car seat without extra cost.

Through security, where I was again pleased to be able to take her milk through. Having a baby didn’t make any of the rest of security less thorough though. If anything it was even more so.

Some quick breakfast and ready to board the plane.

Evie had a little mini belt attached to my belt, not that it really stopped her wriggling. Luckily the cabin crew gave her a little toy and my seat neighbour enjoyed entertaining her.

After snoozes and wriggles we landed. Got the Number 1 bus straight to the city centre, all going far too easily.

Now picture a baby in front sling, rucksack on back, 18kg bag over one shoulder, car seat in other arm. Then the taxi driver says it is easier to walk than drive…. talk about a sense of humour failure when after 10 mins in sweltering heat we still hadn’t reached the hotel…. but in the end we made it.

We will be catching a taxi back to the station!